Call for equal access to digital services for disabled

Terming accessibility as an issue of economic investment, rights activists at an event called for taking necessary steps for ensuring equal access to digital services for all, including persons with disabilities, for the sake of national economy.

They observed that digital accessibility is not only a matter of social justice or human rights; it is also an economic investment. By removing digital barriers, Bangladesh can bring more people into education, employment, entrepreneurship, and the wider digital economy, contributing to inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

They made the observations while addressing a policy dialogue titled ‘Digital Rights, Democracy, and E-Governance-Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities’ in 
the capital.

Songjog Foundation, supported by DDI South Asia, jointly organized the event on Sunday afternoon.

They said, most of the persons with disabilities, who comprise 15% of total population, are economically backward section of people. If they are trained, and have access to digital services, they can contribute to the country’s development, they said, calling for ensuring the availability of proper digital devices and training for them.   

Ensuring equal access to digital services increases employment, supports entrepreneurship, improves education and skill, boosts productivity, reduces inequality, and strengthens the digital economy, they added. 

They stressed on meaningful involvement of persons with disabilities in digital service design and testing, and enacting law aimed at ensuring accessibility to digital services for all, and proper coordination among relevant ministries/ departments/agencies of the government for achieving the objective.  
   
The event was told that Bangladesh ranks 100th among 193 countries on the UN E-Government Development Index �" the highest ranking among least developed countries �" but 108th among 137 countries on digital accessibility.

A bilingual survey of 167 verified respondents with disabilities found that 96% have internet access, 87% use it daily and 74% use assistive technology. Yet 61% find government websites difficult to use with assistive technology, rising to 69% among respondents with visual disabilities, while 44% are stopped by verification steps. In financial services, 86% use mobile or online banking, but 48% report difficulties, citing one-time passwords (41%), screen-reader incompatibility (40%) and biometric authentication (21%).